New Scholarship fund honors STM’s founding pastor When Mother Teresa visited St. Thomas More Parish in Allentown in 1976, she came at the invitation of a priest whose vision of Catholic service would eventually reach across the globe. Monsignor Robert J. Coll, the parish’s charismatic founding pastor, had launched Operation Rice Bowl a year earlier, asking families to sacrifice a meal during Lent and donate the savings to feed the…
Read More
Joseph and Mary Simko never had any children of their own. But thanks to the Cementon couple’s generosity and strong Catholic faith, generations of children are getting the benefit of a Catholic education through the Joseph and Mary Simko Education Fund. “The church was the center of their lives; it really was,” recalled Mary Simko’s niece, Deborah A. Coles of Tamaqua. “Uncle Joe and Aunt Mary were very involved with…
Read More
His generous bequest doubles the endowment he established for the John Paul II Center for Special Learning; demonstrates lasting power of planned giving When John “Jack” Horrigan established an endowment for the John Paul II Center for Special Learning in December 2013, he was doing something that came naturally to him: looking toward the future. Jack was a savvy and successful businessman, a man of deep Catholic faith and a…
Read More
A few weeks ago, families of Immaculate Conception Academy in Douglassville received heartbreaking news. After years of faithful service, the school will close its doors at the end of this school year. No one ever wants to see a Catholic school close. Behind every closure are students, parents, alumni, teachers, and parishioners whose lives have been shaped by Catholic education. There are cherished memories, lifelong friendships, and faith journeys that…
Read More
Since 1957, when Notre Dame High School (also known as Notre Dame Green Pond) opened its doors in Bethlehem Township, the co-educational high school’s mission has centered on enriching students’ academic and athletic development as well as their spiritual and cultural growth. Now three new endowed funds will help ensure the Catholic school, part of the Diocese of Allentown’s school system, can continue that mission for generations to come. Futureproofing Notre Dame High…
Read More
Last August, Pope Leo began his Papal Audience address by inviting those gathered to meditate on the word “prepare.” The word “seems simple, but holds a precious secret of Christian life,” he said. In that spirit, the St. Joseph Center for Special Learning just took a big step to prepare to serve future generations of students by creating four donor-designated funds with the Catholic Foundation of Eastern Pennsylvania. The Schuylkill…
Read More
For more than seven decades, the legacy of the Pottsville Catholic High School Class of 1955 has remained woven into the fabric of Catholic education in Schuylkill County. Now, that legacy is poised to inspire future generations in an even more powerful way. The Pottsville Catholic High School Class of 1955 Scholarship Fund has officially been transferred to the Catholic Foundation of Eastern Pennsylvania as a permanent endowment fund, ensuring…
Read More
Back when David Lengel attended St. Joe’s Catholic School, and later Reading Central Catholic, the benefits of a Catholic education were the farthest thing from his young mind. But these days, the retired engineer has a much better appreciation for the values — namely, hard work, discipline, and respect for others — that his Catholic education instilled in him, and he wants to pay it back. “In time, what I’ve noticed…
Read More
As Catholic Schools Week 2026 unfolds across the nation, classrooms throughout the Diocese of Allentown are alive with celebration, prayer, and a renewed sense of mission. For 33 Catholic schools serving more than 9,000 students across Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Northampton, and Schuylkill counties, the annual observance is more than a tradition — it is a public witness to the enduring power of faith-based education. “Catholic schools have stood the test…
Read More
Father Thomas Bortz, pastor of St. Ignatius Loyola Parish in Reading, Pennsylvania, is an avid baseball fan, having visited several major and minor leagues parks across the country. Fr. Bortz just has to walk out the back door of the rectory and be reminded of the challenge facing his parish’s regional Catholic school. In what amounts to a long outfield-to-home-plate throw away, sits a local public elementary school. While Father…
Read More